U.S. expects implementation of Iran nuclear deal in near future

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

The United States expects implementation of a nuclear deal clinched between world powers and Iran soon.

Highlighting the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action among several very important breakthroughs, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on January 7 that “we are days away from implementation if all goes well,” the U.S. State Department reported.

He said he discussed implementation of the nuclear deal with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif during a phone call on January 7.

Zarif, according to Kerry, made it clear that the Islamic Republic intends to complete its obligations with respect to implementation day as rapidly as possible.

He also noted that Iran has shipped the majority of its enriched uranium stockpile out of the country in compliance with the terms of the Iran nuclear agreement.

Iran has shipped its stockpile of low-enriched uranium to Russia as a key step in fulfilling its commitments under the landmark nuclear deal reached with six world powers in July in Vienna. Russia has already completed withdrawing enriched uranium from Iran as part of the agreement, according to the Russian media.

Kerry explained that in one shipment, “Iran literally shipped out its capacity currently to build a nuclear weapon.”

However, not everybody in the United States is patiently expecting the implementation of the nuclear deal.

The Republicans, who opposed the nuclear deal, still worry that the Tehran government would keep its promise to curb its nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief.

The Republicans has put forward Legislation "Iran Terror Finance Transparency Act" aiming to increase lawmakers' oversight of the Iran agreement. The Republican-led House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee approved the measure by a voice vote, setting it up for consideration by the full House next week, Reuters reported.

While opponents say it will undermine the nuclear deal, the Republicans said the measure would hold the Democratic administration to its commitment not to ease pressure on Iran's support for terrorism or its ballistic missile program.

White House also keeps a close eye on Iran's missile and other activities. In late December, the U.S. lawmakers and media reported that the U.S. Treasury alerted them to new Iranian sanctions, which were later recalled.

The U.S. Treasury Department revealed its intention to impose financial sanctions in the wake of Iran’s missile testing in October and November.

However, the U.S. officials has recently said the administration had additional diplomatic and technical work to complete before announcing any new sanctions related to the missile program.

"You have seen us respond through a sanctions regime to their [Iran’s] ballistic missile activity in the past, and I fully expect that you will see us respond appropriately in the future," Kirby said.

There is no date set yet for "implementation day" of the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed on July 14 in which Tehran agreed to shrink its nuclear program in exchange for some sanctions relief.

Implementation day will come when the International Atomic Energy Agency verifies that Iran has completed all of these nuclear commitments, which increase Iran’s breakout time to obtain enough nuclear material for a weapon to one year, up from less than 90 days before the JCPOA.